US President Donald Trump on Monday claimed that Washington and New Delhi had agreed to a trade deal under which reciprocal tariffs imposed by the US on Indian goods would be reduced to 18 per cent from 50 per cent, following a telephonic conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.The 25 per cent penal tariff, which the US had imposed on India for buying Russian crude oil, has been dissolved, US embassy spokesperson Chris Elms confirmed.Shortly after Trump’s social media post, Prime Minister Modi welcomed the tariff reduction, calling it a positive development for bilateral ties.In a post on X, Modi said he was “delighted that Made in India products will now have a reduced tariff of 18 per cent” and thanked Trump “on behalf of the 1.4 billion people of India” for the announcement.“When two large economies and the world’s largest democracies work together, it benefits our people and unlocks immense opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation,” Modi said, adding that he looked forward to taking the India-US partnership “to unprecedented heights”.US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor, who was the first one to inform about the Modi-Trump phone call, said the two leaders were expected to meet in the coming months.Trump, in his post, said they discussed trade as well as the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.He described Modi as a “powerful and respected leader” and claimed that India had agreed to stop buying Russian oil and instead increase purchases of energy and other goods from the US and, “potentially, Venezuela”. No official confirmation was available from the Indian side on these assertions.According to Trump’s post, the trade understanding would also involve India reducing its tariffs and non-tariff barriers on American goods to zero and significantly scaling up purchases of US energy, technology, agricultural products and coal. He claimed these purchases could exceed $500 billion.The US President also shared images related to India, including a photograph of India Gate and a magazine cover featuring himself with Modi, highlighting what he described as a strong personal rapport.There was no immediate statement from the Ministry of External Affairs, and it remained unclear whether Trump’s claims reflected a concluded agreement or ongoing negotiations.India and the US have been engaged in talks to ease trade frictions and expand bilateral commerce, with tariffs and market access remaining central to the discussions.Meanwhile, the announcement drew a political reaction domestically, with Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh questioning the manner in which information about the conversation emerged.In a post on X, Ramesh said details of the call had come not from the Indian Government but from US officials, calling it a growing pattern where India learns of its government’s actions from President Trump or his appointees.